Hydrator



Jam 9 J. A. D-EPEW 2,067,830

' HYDRATOR Filed Dec. 2, 1935 ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 12, 1937 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE HYDRATOR James A. Depew, Miami, Fla.

Application December 2, 1935, Serial No. 52,589

Claims.

This invention relates to hydrators for use in mechanical refrigerators.

A hydrator is a receptacle in which fresh vegetables such as lettuce,celery and the like are 5 deposited so as to be protected, in amechanical refrigerator, from dehydrating or becoming wilted. In orderto preserve such vegetables in the refrigerator, it is necessary toretard evaporation, and at the same time afiord circulation of cold airthrough the vegetables.

To attain the above ends, an object of this invention is to provideupstruck channels in the bottom of the receptacle having openings in thesides through which cold air may enter the receptacle and provide adraft upward through the vegetables.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sump in the bottom ofthe receptacle below the openings in the channel for collectingcondensed vapors which gravitate down the Walls of the receptacle, thedraft through the openings evaporating the water in the sump andmimidifying the atmosphere in the receptacle to prevent dehydrating ofthe vegetables.

A further object of the invention is to provide transverse platesadjustable longitudinally in the receptacle to form separatecompartments for different foods, these plates being arranged above thechannel and preventing intermingling of different food odors in thedraft from the openings in the channel to the damper controlled exitopening.

With the above and other objects in 'view,-the invention consists ofcertain novel details of construction and combinations of partshereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood thatvarious modifications may be resorted to within the scope of theappended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of the specification,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hydrator constructed in accordancewith the invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the hydrator.

Figure 3 is a rear end elevation of the hydrator showing the open rearends of a plurality of channels in the bottom of the hydrator.

50 Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2showing the openings in the channels and the sumps in the bottom of thehydrator below the openings of the channels.

Figure 5 is a reduced bottom plan view of the 5 hydrator shown in Figure1.

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view showing a. modified form of channelin which bailles are disposed above the openings.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of referencedesignate similar parts in 5 the various views the hydrator is shown tocomprise a receptacle ill which is closed by a dome shaped cover Hhaving a damper I2 slidably fitted on guides l3 and controlling an exitopening it. A grip I5 is provided on the damper to 0 adjust the damper.

A rubber gasket 16 is seated in a concave marginal flange l'i whichextends around the top of the receptacle walls and the cover is providedwith a convex marginal flange l8 which flts 5 down upon the gasket andclamps it tightly into the flange of the receptacle. At thefront endwall of the flange ll of the receptacle, 9. downwardly extending bar i9forms a grip by means of which the hydrator may be removed from andreplaced in the mechanical refrigerator.

The receptacle i0 is provided with a. vertical front wall 20 and withvertical side walls 2| and 22. The rear wall 23 of the receptacle is,however, sloped downwardly and inwardly from the top to the bottom, asshown in Figure 2, so that when the receptacle is placed in therefrigerator there will be a triangular space existing between the rearwall of the refrigerator and the bottom of the rear wall for a purposewhich will now be 6 described.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the bottom 24 of thereceptacle is provided with a plurality of upstruck channels made bydeforming the bottom upwardly, one channel 25 being U-shape and theother channel 26 being rectilinear and disposed between the legs of theU-shaped channel. Both channels terminate short of the front end wall ofthe receptacle but the legs of the U-shaped channel and the rear end ofthe rectilinear channel open through the bottom of the rear wall of thereceptacle as best shown in Figure 3 so that cold air may enter thechannels from the rear but warm air will be prevented from entering thechannels when the refrigerator door is opened.

Openings 21 are formed in the sides of the channels above the bottoms ofthe channels so that the cold air from the rear of the refrigerator mayenter the channels and pass upwardly through the receptacle to the valvecontrolled exit opening l4. By virtue of these openings being disposedabove the bottom of the receptacle the bottom of the receptacle betweenthe channels and outside of the channels form sumps for collectingcondensed moisture which gravitates from the dome shaped cover down theside and end walls of the receptacle. The incoming cold air will passover the water level in the sumps and evaporate the water, and thushumidify the draft of cold air passing from the entrance openings 21 tothe exit openings l4.

A modified form of channel 28 is shown in Figure 6 in which baflies 29are disposed above the entrance openings 30. In this modified form ofchannel the baiiles prevent gravitating condensed vapors from leakingthrough the openings 30 to the exterior of the container. The bafileswill also deflect the air streaming through the openings and upward,thus spreading the air stream out through the vegetables and preventingit from striking them in a small stream in one spot.

By now referring to Figures 2 and 4, it will be seen that a pair of rods3| are disposed longitudinally in the container and upon these rods apair of transversely disposed plates 32 are slidably fitted by means ofopenings 33 in the plates which loosely receive the rods. The platesterminate above the channels 25 and 26. By adjusting these plateslongitudinally of the rods, compartments of various sizes may be formedfor separating different foods. The plates 32 prevent intermingling ofthe odors of the different foods in the draft rising from the intakeopenings 21 and passing out through the exit opening 14.

From the above description, it is thought that the construction andoperation of my invention will be fully understood without furtherexplanation.

What is claimed is:

1. A hydrator for refrigerators comprising a receptacle having a rearwall sloping inwardly from the top to the bottom, a longitudinalupstruck channel in the bottom of the receptacle extending nearly to thefront wall of the receptacle and opening at the rear end through thebottom of the rear wall of the receptacle whereby cold air may enter thechannel from the rear of the receptacle, there being openings in thesides of the channel above the bottom of the receptacle to permit coldair to enter the receptacle, the bottom of the receptacle below theopenings forming a sump for accumulation of condensed vapor.

2. A hydrator for refrigerators comprising receptacle having a rear wallsloping inwardly from the top to the bottom, a longitudinal upstruckchannel in the'bottom of the receptacle opening at the rear end throughthe bottom of the rear wall of the receptacle whereby cold air may enterthe channel from the rear of the receptacle, there being openings in thesides of the channel above the bottom of the receptacle to permit coldair to enter the receptacle, the bottom of the receptacle below theopenings forming a sump for accumulation of condensed ,vapor, and adamper controlled exit in the receptacle for regulating draft of coldair from the openings through the receptacle.

3. A hydrator for refrigerators comprising a receptacle having a rearwall sloping inwardly from the top to the bottom, a longitudinalupstruck channel in the bottom of the receptacle extending nearly to thefront wall of the receptacle and opening at the rear end through thebottom of the rear wall of the receptacle whereby cold air may enter thechannel from the rear of the receptacle, there being openings in thesides of the channel above the bottom of the receptacle to permit coldair to enter the receptacle, the bottom of the receptacle below theopenings forming a sump for accumulation of condensed vapor, and a domeshaped cover for the receptacle fromwhich condensation may gravitatedown the walls of the receptacle to the sump for humidifying the draftof cold air entering through the openings.

4. A hydrator for refrigerators comprising a receptacle having a rearwall sloping inwardly from the top to the bottom, a longitudinalupstruck channel in the bottom of the receptacle extending nearly to thefront wall of the receptacle and opening at the rear end through thebottom of the rear wall of the receptacle whereby cold air may enter thechannel from the rear of the receptacle, there being openings in thesides of the channel above the bottom, of the receptacle to permit coldair to enter the receptacle, the bottom of the receptacle below theopenings forming a sump for accumulation of condensed vapor, and bafileson the sides of the channel above said openings preventing leakage ofcondensation to the exterior of the receptacle.

5. A hydrator for refrigerators comprising a receptacle having a rearwall sloping inwardly from the top to the bottom, a longitudinalupstruck channel in the bottom of the receptacle extending nearly to thefront wall of the receptacle and opening at the rear end through thebottom of the rear wall of the receptacle whereby cold air may enter thechannel from the rear of the receptacle, there being openings in thesides of the chanml above the bottom of the receptacle to permit coldair to enter the receptacle, the bottom of the receptacle below theopenings fonm'ng a sump for accumulation of condensed vapor, andtransverse plates adjustably mounted in the receptacle to be movedlongitudinally above the channel to form compartments for differentfoods and prevent intermlngling of food odors in the draft from saidopenings.

JAMES A. DEPEW.

